Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The LA Galaxy announced today that the club will host Costa Rican power Club Sport Herediano in an international friendly at The Home Depot Center on Tuesday, June 9. The 21-time Costa Rican Primera Division champions and current Primera Division finalists are one of the most successful clubs in Costa Rican history, producing many of the country’s top all-time players.

“This will be a great challenge for our team to play against a club like Herediano who are one of the top teams in our region and a finalist for their league championship,” Galaxy President of Business Operation Tom Payne said. “We continue to provide exceptional value to all of our season ticket holders and believe that games such as this one will only add to that value.”

On Sunday, Herediano booked a spot in the Primera Division Verano Final against LiberiaMia with a 6-2 aggregate win over Brujas. The two-leg final will be played on May 20 and May 24 with Herediano looking to win their first championship since the 1992-93 season.

Led by former MLS players and Costa Rican National Team stars Andy Herron and Mauricio Solis, as well as Costa Rican goalkeeper Ricardo Gonzalez and Colombian forward Oscar Briceño, Herediano were the top attacking team in Costa Rica this season, scoring a league-high 28 goals in 19 games.

Herediano is managed by Ronald Mora, who took charge of the club in March. The 47-year old led Herediano to their last finals appearance in the 2003-04 season, which was the club's first appearance in the championship since winning the 1992-93 championship.

This game will be included in the Galaxy full season seat plan as Bonus Game Five (5), meaning that Galaxy full season seat holders will get to see two of the top clubs in Europe and one of the top clubs in Costa Rica this year as part of their season plan. The game will kick-off at 7:30 p.m. and tickets will go on sale on Friday, May 22 at 10 a.m. online and through the Galaxy front office and at all Ticketmaster locations.

Additionally, fans can purchase a special two-game pack that will give them tickets to the Galaxy-Herediano game, as well as the Gold Cup doubleheader at The Home Depot Center on July 3, which features Costa Rica taking on El Salvador and Canada taking on Jamaica.

Aside from making more dough for Anschutz, how is this friendly going to help the team? How can Payne and Leiweike say their goal is to win an MLS championship with a straight face when they insist on scheduling these friendlies in the mid-week during the season?

I have held off on investing in season tickets mainly because I think the Galaxy management is dishonest with its fan base. I think Leiweike thinks we are all fools who will be distracted from the team's ongoing mismanagement by a shiny international object.

Even better: a double-check of the Galaxy and US MNT schedules shows that the exciting Costa Rican friendly will be during a month when we are likely to lose Donovan for three games due to World Cup Qualifiers and the Confederations Cup.

A plea to Mr. Leiweike, Mr. Payne, and the author of this blog: would you just stop lying to us about the team's priority? Your main goal is clearly to do whatever possible to bring in extra money; winning in MLS is pointedly low on your priority list. Just be honest about it, and I think the fan base would respect you more.

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One of Major League Soccer's original clubs, the LA Galaxy play their home games at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. A two-time winner of both the MLS Cup (2002 and 2005) and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (2001 and 2005), the Galaxy boast a strong and rich history in MLS and around the world. With a roster that features stars like David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle and more under the eye of general manager and head coach Bruce Arena, the Galaxy will look to return to the pinnacle of MLS in 2010.